Busting a wildlife trafficking racket, the Special Task Force (STF) of the State Crime Branch has seized a leopard skin and arrested a person in this connection near the Government ITI in Subarnapur district.
Acting on reliable information about a deal for sale of the leopard skin, an STF team conducted a raid on Monday and nabbed Ashok Chhatria, a resident of Babunektima under the Mahupalli police station in Sambalpur district.
The cops also seized the leopard hide from his possession.As the accused could not produce valid documents in support of possession of the skin, the cops arrested him and later produced him before the Subarnapur SDJM Court on Tuesday.
The seized skin will be sent to the Wildlife Institute of India, Derhadun for chemical examination. A case has been registered under Sections 379 and 411 of IPC r /w Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in this connection.
Further investigation about wildlife smuggling operations is underway, said the police.